Triptych with the Virgin and Child, Saint Catherine and Saint Eulalia

The painting of Joan Mates was the most elegant and refined in Catalonia in the first quarter of the 15th century. Established in Barcelona, he received numerous commissions for altarpieces from the Church and the aristocracy, of which the most important to be conserved is the one of Saint Martin and Saint Ambrose in Barcelona Cathedral, done between 1411 and 1414. After Pere Serra's death, Joan Mates was able to introduce the style of the new International Gothic current prevalent in Europe, coming from the Low Countries and Northern France, to Catalonia. In Mates' case this style is characterised by the introduction of the flowing, sensual movement of the figures typical of the aristocratic tastes of the Catalan court. This triptych, destined for private worship, with the Virgin, Saint Catherine – with the wheel of her martyrdom – and Saint Eulalia – with the St Andrew's cross – clearly shows this elegant exquisite taste, particularly with regard to the chromatic harmony of the robes and tunics and to the rhythmic shapes that the folds in the clothing create.